I'm thinking about ditching my stock tires and switching to A/t's or M/T's. The stock tires are just too wimpy looking for a truck this big! I really prefer the look of the mud tires, but since this truck wont see any off-roading like other vehicles I've owned I'd be more willing to settle for all terrain tires. Anyways, how many of you guys have made a switch to A/T's or M/T's, and what changes did you see? What did you guys think afterwards???

My biggest concern is the drop in fuel mileage. How large of a fuel mileage drop have some of you seen? In particular when going to M/T tires. I know there will be changes in ride comfort and noise.

I am looking at around 35" tires. Unless you guys have not seen a large change when going to 37" tires. Then I would consider a larger 4.5" lift. I'm coming from the gas truck world where small and large tire changes mean re-gearing the truck to do it right. I don't want to mess with the extra labor or expense of re-gearing.

I went with the BFG All-Terrain T/A KO's in 285/65/20 (34.7") on the stock rims. The biggest factor for me was the 3800lb+ load rating as well as the 'wear life' I got out of these on previous trucks I've owned. I rotated them after @5k miles - with probably @1k of that pulling the 5th wheel - and was very happy with the tread wear (or lack thereof).

tires are about .6" bigger and a little heavier than the stock Michelins and with a more aggressive tread pattern. best I can figure I've lost just about 1 mpg or less. I switched to Bilstein shocks and airbags at the same time so I can't say how much the tires themselves changed the ride quality but overall I'm very happy with how it rides. they look good too. the old tires are still on in my sig photo

I went with the BFG All-Terrain T/A KO's in 285/65/20 (34.7") on the stock rims. The biggest factor for me was the 3800lb+ load rating as well as the 'wear life' I got out of these on previous trucks I've owned. I rotated them after @5k miles - with probably @1k of that pulling the 5th wheel - and was very happy with the tread wear (or lack thereof).

tires are about .6" bigger and a little heavier than the stock Michelins and with a more aggressive tread pattern. best I can figure I've lost just about 1 mpg or less. I switched to Bilstein shocks and airbags at the same time so I can't say how much the tires themselves changed the ride quality but overall I'm very happy with how it rides. they look good too. the old tires are still on in my sig photo

I have run BFG Mud Terrain T/A KM2's on my old truck and on my off-road toy. They have always been fantastic, with little wear and excellent grip. I was looking at the All-Terrain T/A KO's, along with a few others, but the price tag of BFG's always makes me cringe! Especially on 20" rims!!!

I'm glad to hear that you didn't take too bad of a hit in the fuel mileage department. I know the stock tires are just about 35" but I know that A/T and M/T tires have a bigger footprint, and weigh much more.

I had Firestone destination m/t on my '97. best tire for traction in snow I ever had. these tires just keep digging and clawing until they find something they can bite fast to. got about 25,000 out of them, which for an aggressive tire on an f 350 isn't too bad IMO. when I bought my 2011 a few weeks ago it needed tires so I made a deal with the dealer and had him put these tires on. I can't really compare ride or mpg's as I've only had this truck a few weeks and these are the only tires I've had on it, but compared to my '97 this '11 rides like a Cadillac and I'm getting 18-19mpg highway, so I'm happy. these tires are not cheap, about $250 each for 265/70r17's. I bought a used set of Cooper's and extra rims to swap for summer use.

I ordered cooper sst that are 35x12.5x20 for my stock wheels. Prolly going to do a pure 4" so it'll stand up a little more. Hoping my mileage doesn't suffer a bunch

Brett

I would like to do a 4.5" Carli suspension, but I am not a big fan of how they look with 35" tires. Just not enough tire to fill the wheel wells IMO. I think that 37's look best with a 4" lift. Again, just my opinion. I am trying to avoid having to re-gear for 37" tires and a bigger MPG hit though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kdskidoo

I had Firestone destination m/t on my '97. best tire for traction in snow I ever had. these tires just keep digging and clawing until they find something they can bite fast to. got about 25,000 out of them, which for an aggressive tire on an f 350 isn't too bad IMO. when I bought my 2011 a few weeks ago it needed tires so I made a deal with the dealer and had him put these tires on. I can't really compare ride or mpg's as I've only had this truck a few weeks and these are the only tires I've had on it, but compared to my '97 this '11 rides like a Cadillac and I'm getting 18-19mpg highway, so I'm happy. these tires are not cheap, about $250 each for 265/70r17's. I bought a used set of Cooper's and extra rims to swap for summer use.

I havent looked at Firestone's. My dad had some bad experiences with them in the past. I will check them out though. You think $250 a piece is bad, price them out for 20" wheels!!!

I would like to do a 4.5" Carli suspension, but I am not a big fan of how they look with 35" tires. Just not enough tire to fill the wheel wells IMO. I think that 37's look best with a 4" lift. Again, just my opinion. I am trying to avoid having to re-gear for 37" tires and a bigger MPG hit though.

I havent looked at Firestone's. My dad had some bad experiences with them in the past. I will check them out though. You think $250 a piece is bad, price them out for 20" wheels!!!

yeah, I'm so glad this truck had 17's. I don't like the look of 20's anyway and dislike the price even more. I had a set of Firestone duelers on my '97 before the destinations and I wasn't impressed with them. only got 20,000 miles out of those tires and not good traction in mud and snow. had a much better experience with the destinations so I put them on the new truck. time will tell on durability, but traction is great.

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